[pct-l] PCT Elevation gain/loss Stats

[enyapjr at comcast.net]

>From Eric Martinot:
Some time ago I added up all the section elevation gains noted on the
first page of each section on the Half Mile maps, which I assumed were
based on continuous meter-by-meter GPS tracking so would give the actual
total climbing stats (integral), not just "step up/down"
half-mile-interval based stats, but I hope Half Mile might clarify. 
Anyway, I didn't use a calculator, just added in my head, and got
310,000 ft, which is about 60 miles, or 10 times Everest from sea-level,
or 25 times Everest from base camp to summit. But why the discrepancy
from Jim (PITA)?  And what about the 600,000 ft (110 miles) mentioned
in other posts?
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Guess I should have started with a "FWIW" since it is NOT 'my' data 
(except the 'results' of simple arithmetic)...  It was done only as a 
quick 'exercise' out of curiosity using Halfmile's 2014 elevation gain 
& loss figures given on the first page of each of the 30 PCT sections.

Knowing that in using a GPS device the elevation measurement is by far
the least accurate - that is the nature of the 'beast' in triangulating
from great distances... But logic would seem to tend towards the many
elevation readings 'averaging' out - for any one elevation reading that
was too 'high', there would probably be another that was too 'low' -
thus coming out fairly accurately in the END (but NOT necessarily 
somewhere in between the start & finish)... I did another 'exercise'
after obtaining the +1010' difference between mile 0.0 and mile 2668.8 -
and the 'interesting' result was quite close; looking at the topo maps 
and extrapolating between the contour lines (then converting from metric
for the Canada elevation) 0.0 elevation was ~2890', 2668.8 elevation was
~3904' (~1190 m), a difference of 1014' (not bad considering that the
extrapolations are "educated guesses")!

In all honesty, the results do not mean too much to me - I really don't 
care what the overall elevation gain & loss is - and since there is no
true & accurate "official" mileage or extremely accurate trail trace or
location, the 'discussion' is mostly meaningless & won't prove anything.

IMHO, YMEGLMV (Your Mileage & Elevation Gain Loss May Vary!!) ;-) HYOH!

ps: do NOT "assume" for what it makes of 'you & me'; and "never say 'never' 
& never say 'always'." :-/

Happy trails!!!
Jim (PITA)